Boundaries for office based staff
There is a strong relationship between effective performance in the workplace,
the degree of stress that staff experience and the prevailing work culture in
terms of appropriate professional boundaries.
Poor boundaries in the workplace can lead to dysfunctional teams, poor
interpersonal relationships, ineffective work practice and in some cases
bullying, harassment and litigation.
For teams to function in a healthy way they need clarity regarding professional
and organisational expectations regarding boundaries; supported by clear policy.
Staff need to be able to subscribe to defined boundaries.
This course offers an overview of the boundaries that are expected, what poor
boundaries can result in and how to begin to strengthen weaker boundaries in the
interest of all individuals and the organisation as a whole.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this course learners should be able to understand:
• What is meant by ‘boundaries’
• How personal boundaries are very different to those at work
• Why we need to have clarity regarding boundaries at work
• Where we find this clarity
• The potential consequences if there are poor boundaries within a team
-for the individual
-for the team
-for the organisation
-for service users
• Typical areas that cause boundary problems:
-gossip
-sub-grouping
-language
-swearing
-declaration of beliefs
-lack of courtesy
-cultural misunderstandings
-touch
-jokes and humour
-sexual innuendo
-sexual advances
-time keeping
-timescales
-confidentiality
-discriminatory language and views
-mixing social and professional
issues
-self-disclosure
-over familiarity
etc.
• How the team can work towards improving boundaries
• Organisational guidelines
Training methods:
• Tutor presentation
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Chalk and talk
• Word shower method
• Discussion
• Work in pairs
• Handouts
CP258/8.9
